Hay's Winter Headquarters

We had a enjoyable day at the Hay's Winter Headquarters. Hay's was the 19th President, as well as a General during the Civil War. This event took place at his home in Fremont, Ohio. We talked our family friend Orv, into joining us for his very first event! He had a great time, and will hopefully allow us to drag him along on even more historical adventures!

This may have been a small event, but it was a very detail oriented, labor intensive, and had amazing dedicated volunteers. They had built a legit camp with mini cabins with the canvas on top, and fireplaces to keep warm. The crowd moved through very slowly, it was wonderful to see how attentive they were. We were supposed to be stationed with the Christian Commission, and we visited them frequently... because Brittney had amazing snacks!

This time, I didn't just bring my children's toys. I brought, buzzsaw supplies, so people could make their own. I’ve noticed over my last few interactions, some kids feel uncomfortable trying to learn something new in front of their family, or they are an age where they feel awkward playing with a toy. Also, sometimes parents take over, when the kids don’t instantly succeed, and the kids feel flustered. This really helped prevent that. And I noticed, even teens and adults got excited about making their own buzzsaw. As soon as I said, “Do you want to make one.” Eyes lite up! And it kept people at the station longer, and got them playing with a larger variety of toys, and lots of smiles!!!